Happy New Year! Here in the Festival office, we are hard
at work on the final stages of the 2018 programme: confirming
writers, wrestling with event timetables, editing bios and booking
travel from all over the world. We can't wait to share it all with you
when we launch the programme to the public on Wednesday 14 March. Tickets will be on sale from 9am Friday 16 March with early release to Patrons on 13 March and Friends
on 15 March. If you don't already receive a print programme
by post, please add your contact details on our sign up page
and we will make sure you are added to the list. Any subsequent
Festival announcements or updates will be made by email or social media
so please make sure you don't miss out.
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LAST CHANCE TO SEE NIGELLA IN
CONVERSATION
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There
is a very limited number of tickets still available for our Nigella Lawson event
on Wednesday 7 February, so get in quick if you don't want to miss this
exclusive Auckland event. Nigella started work as a book reviewer
and restaurant critic, going on to become the deputy literary editor
of The Sunday
Times before embarking on a career as a freelance
journalist. She has now become one of the world’s most loved food
writers and broadcasters and is the author of numerous award-winning
books including How
to Eat, How
to Be a Domestic Goddess, Nigella Bites and most
recently At My
Table. The session will be chaired by award-winning
New Zealand writer Paula Morris, and together they
discuss food, its culture and history, as well as Nigella’s varied
writing career.
Book online via Ticketmaster or call 0800 111 999
Patrons & Friends $33.50, General Admission
$37.50, Students $18.75.
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NEW YEAR HONOURS
We offer huge congratulations to Festival trustee (and
Deputy Chair) Nicola
Legat, who has been recognised in the 2018 New Year
Honours as an Officer
of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to
the publishing industry. During her impressive career, Nicola has
worked as a senior writer for North
& South and Editor of Metro. She
was publishing director at Random House New Zealand, overseeing
the publication of some 100 New Zealand books a year. Nicola is
now the publisher for Massey University Press, Te Papa Press and the Poetry NZ journal.
She has also held several senior governance roles in the New Zealand
arts sector including 10 years on the Auckland Writers Festival
Board and three years as Chair of the New Zealand Book Awards
Trust.
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BOARD CHANGES
In
December, we farewelled long-serving Board member Carole Beu,
who has retired as a trustee after 16 years. Carole has been on the
Festival Board since the Trust was formed and has made a significant
contribution, she will be greatly missed. However, we are pleased to
announce the appointment of a new trustee, Tony Moores,
to replace Carole. Tony has broad publishing and bookseller
experience, is a Board member (and past Chair) of Booksellers
NZ, and is the owner of bookstores. In addition, Anna Connell
will be co-opted onto the Board (in an ex-officio capacity). Anna
is a digital creative strategist and columnist, with significant
experience in marketing, brand and communications and for many years
she was the Development & Partnerships Manager at Auckland Theatre
Company.
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2018 OCKHAM NEW ZEALAND BOOK AWARDS
INTERNATIONAL JUDGE ANNOUNCED
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Critically
acclaimed Scots writer, journalist and founding editor of the Scottish Review of Books
Alan Taylor has
been announced as the international judge who will assist the local
panel in selecting the winner of the $50,000 Acorn Foundation Fiction
Prize in the 2018 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Taylor
and his wife, author and literary editor Rosemary Goring,
will be in New Zealand in May as guests of the Auckland Writers
Festival, with their visit supported by Festival Platinum Partner Heartland Bank. Taylor brings
considerable experience to the judging table; he was a member of the
Booker Prize’s management committee and a judge of the prize in 1994.
His own books include The
Assassin’s Cloak: An Anthology of the World’s Best Diarists,
Glasgow: An
Autobiography and Appointment
in Arezzo: A Friendship with Muriel Spark. The Acorn
Foundation Fiction Prize and other winners of the 2018 Ockham New
Zealand Book Awards will be announced at the Festival event on 15 May.
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SIGN UP AS A
FESTIVAL
FRIEND
An annual AWF
Friend membership is just $100 per person, and includes: an
invitation to our March programme launch, priority booking ahead
of public ticket sales, access to a dedicated booking line with no
transaction fees, reserved seating at all ticketed events and special
offers and discounts all year round. Numbers are strictly limited,
so don't miss out, further details available online.
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JOIN THE
FESTIVAL
TEAM
Our volunteers
are an essential part of each Festival’s success. While there are no
particular skills or work experience required for you to become a
volunteer, a love of literature and books is a good start. If you are
enthusiastic, generous, reliable, friendly, motivated, tactful and
available for 3 or more shifts (of 4-5 hours) from 15-20 May and would
like to be considered, please email and register
your interest.
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WIN TICKETS TO THE AUCKLAND ARTS
FESTIVAL
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Auckland Arts
Festival is just around the corner, running from 8-25 March and we’re
excited! We have a double pass to give away to each of these fabulous
AAF events.
1984 April, 1984.
13:00. Comrade 6079, Winston Smith, thinks a thought, starts a diary,
and falls in love. But Big Brother is always watching. One of the 20th
century’s greatest has its New Zealand premiere at Auckland Arts
Festival. Set in a world where an invasive government keeps a
malevolently watchful eye on its citizens, this radical and much-lauded
staging explores surveillance, identity and why George Orwell’s vision
of the future is as relevant now as ever. Seen by more than 500,000
people, this stage adaptation of Orwell’s dystopian classic has enjoyed
three hugely successful West End seasons and is a current hit on
Broadway. This Headlong, Nottingham Playhouse and Almeida Theatre
production of 1984 is presented by Auckland Arts Festival and GWB
Entertainment in association with Auckland Theatre Company and State
Theatre Company South Australia. Enter here *
The Far Side of the Moon To see a show
from Canada's visionary director Robert Lepage is to experience pure
theatrical magic. Recognised internationally as his masterpiece work,
The Far Side of the Moon is a spellbinding, funny and technically
exquisite exploration of inner and outer space. Publicly the race to
the moon is consuming Americans and Russians, while privately two
estranged brothers are brought together by their mother's death. Don’t
miss this visually stunning production with compelling storytelling,
ingenious effects and an atmospheric score from composer Laurie
Anderson. Enter here *
Bless The Child A searing new
work from acclaimed New Zealand playwright Hone Kouka that's part
compelling urban thriller, part unflinching social commentary. Eight
lives and three worlds collide in this urgent, thought-provoking play;
a story of life and death and good vs. bad. After a child is found
dead, a hotshot lawyer is dragged into the case to defend the demonised
mother. As the whānau closes ranks, the question of who killed the baby
- and whose prejudice is exposed - is brought provocatively to the
surface. Directed by Mīria George and presented by Tawata Productions,
this passionately realised play confronts the hard truths of our shared
humanity. Enter here *
* The winners
will be drawn on Thursday 1 February and contacted by email.
The winner can select an event date of choice provided there is
ticket availability and excludes opening nights.
For details on the 50+ shows and events in Auckland Arts
Festival visit www.aaf.co.nz
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WIN TICKETS TO
FINDING YOUR
FEET
When ‘Lady’
Sandra Abbott discovers that her husband of forty years is having an
affair with her best friend, she seeks refuge in London with her estranged,
older sister Bif. The two could not be more different – Sandra is a
fish out of water next to her outspoken, free-spirited sibling. But
different is just what Sandra needs. As the sisters begin to reconnect,
Sandra lets Bif drag her along to a dance class, where gradually she
starts finding her feet... and romance. Featuring star-studded
cast Finding Your
Feet is a hilarious and heart-warming comedy proving
that it’s never too late to start again. We have 5 double passes to
give away: email to
enter the draw by Wed 31 January.
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WIN TICKETS TO
THE PARTY
The Party is a sharply funny satire of
modern politics and the upper-middle class from acclaimed British
director Sally Potter. Featuring a stellar ensemble cast headed by
Kristin Scott Thomas, Patricia Clarkson and Timothy Spall who shine in
the most comedic roles of their career. The film is a comedy
wrapped around a tragedy, in which a celebratory gathering of friends
goes violently wrong in a very short space of time. Love, friendships
and political convictions are soon called into question in this
hilarious comedy of tragic proportions. We have 5 double passes to
give away: email to
enter the draw by Wed 31 January.
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RELIVE THE FESTIVAL VIA PODCAST &
VIDEO
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Who
was at our sellout #awf14 event with our Booker winner Eleanor Catton?
Flashback to when
The Luminaries took out the 2013 Man Booker Prize and
catapulted its author into stardom. Eleanor Catton discusses writing,
storytelling and literary success with broadcaster John Campbell. View it now.
We
have loaded a selection of videos and podcasts to our Look, Listen & Learn page so you can enjoy the magic at home. Revisit
your favourite writer's sessions, or catch up on the events you missed.
There's something for everyone! Podcasts are also available on itunes so you can download and listen on the go.
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WITH THANKS TO OUR MAJOR FESTIVAL
PARTNERS:
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